Hive 1 August Tutorial -- Sorta Wonky Hashtag Block

 Hi, I'm Pam in Hive 1, and this is my 9th year participating in Stashbee.  I've loved every quilt I've made with my Stashbee blocks--it's so amazing seeing the variety of designs and fabrics I could never achieve using my own very small stash.

I've wanted to make a hashtag quilt for a while, but wasn't feeling the measuring and seam-matching, so I decided to make a slightly wonky and easier, faster version. I love the look of a quilt where the blocks are all a bit different, even if the concept is the same for all of them.  

Here are the directions for my version of the hashtag block:

Fabrics:     One 12.5 inch square of dark grey or black fabric, either solid or print, for the background.

                  Four 1.25 inch strips of bright (print or solid) fabrics, at least 14 inches long

Assembly:    Using a ruler and rotary cutter, make a cut off one side of the background square.  No rules for where to make the cut, and it can be parallel to the edge or slightly at an angle as I did with my sample blocks. 

Take one of your bright strips, and sew it into the square, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  I sewed the strip onto the bigger background piece first, and then sewed the smaller background piece onto the strip, but it doesn't matter what order you do this.  I pressed my seams toward the strip, but however you want to press is fine.

Don't worry about the edges of the background square lining up perfectly on both sides of the strip.

Next make another slice on another side of the square, and insert the next strip the same way.

Strip number one won't line up perfectly on both sides of strip number two, and that's okay.

Continue to slice and insert two more strips the same way.

Yay, you're done!  PLEASE DO NOT "SQUARE UP" THE BLOCK!!  

The block will be roughly 13.5 inches square, but the edges are not going to be straight or parallel, and THAT'S OKAY.  The blocks are not all going to be the same size, and I can trim them to a uniform size before I assemble the quilt top.  If you can't stand those overhanging strips, roughly cut the excess off, but don't trim down the crooked edges of the block. 

THANKS AND ENJOY!  

Hive 1 July Beggar’s block for Cindy

 I’m really sorry this is going to be a bit late. An international family wedding and jet lag hit me harder than I expected! It’ll go in the mail tomorrow. I hope you like it! I think it turned out a little dizzying, but I’m hoping that’s mostly just my addled brain and you’ll be happy with it!

Hive 3 Tracy’s Chickens

 Hello Beemates!

I’ve been having so much fun making blocks for all of you, and I hope you have fun this month making some chickens for me.

We will be using a tutorial from Vicki at Sew Inspired  

http://www.sewinspiredblog.com/2010/02/chicken-quilt-block-tutorial.html?m=1

Let’s get started!

Here is my inspiration and fabric pull. This panel piece is going to be the bottom corner of my quilt and the rest is going to be filled with chickens, chickens everywhere!

The background of the quilt is going to be scrappy off white/cream tone on tone fabrics as I have a ton of leftover bits to use up.  The background of your chicken can be all one fabric or, if you are like me and have tons of scraps, every piece can be different. 

The chicken bodies are going to be black, brown, golden yellow or forest/sage green.

The beaks are going to be yellow to orange.

Their combs are going to be red.

* You can follow her tutorial for cutting your pieces, but please add an extra background piece to the bottom (2 x 8) and the left hand side (2 x 8.5).

Chicken body:

(1) 5.5 x 6.5

(1) 2 x 2

Beak: 

(1) 1.25 x 1.25

Comb:

Approximately 2 x 2.5

Background:

(3) 2 x 2

(1) 2 x 5.5

(1) 2 x 6.5

* (1) 2 x 8

* (1) 2 x 8.5

Before you sew your pieces together, you will need to appliqué your comb on.  I have no preference for how you do this. Follow Vicki’s tutorial, use needle turn, raw edge, zigzag, blanket stitch…whatever you prefer. Just make sure that you leave a quarter inch from the right so that it doesn’t get lost in the seam when you sew it together. 

Isn’t she the cutest!!

Hive 1 July beggar's block for Cindy

 

Can't wait to see this one all finished! -Julia

Hive 1 July 2026 Beggar's Blocks for Cindy

 

It was fun making these easy blocks for Cindy.  Her quilt is going to be so cute and scrappy!

Hive 1 July Beggar's Block for Cindy

 

Hi Cindy! I ended up making two blocks--the one on the right is slightly smaller (and possibly not the right color-scheme...), so I made a second one just in case. Happy sewing!

Finished Quilt - Hive 1 2026 Feb block

 

Hi All,

Meet: 'It's Complicated...'; 60" x 70".

Thank you so much everyone from 2026 Hive 1 for helping me getting this done!

It was real fun to play with the layout of the blocks I received - as you can see, I settled on a classic rainbow, top to bottom, setting. I kept the quilting simple, as this is to be a 'use-quilt' for my BIL (60th next month), just stich-in-the-ditch around the bands and then a rainbow radiating out from the bottom left, each 'ring' in a different gradating rainbow colour.

Really hope it turned out 'butch' enough and will appeal to my BIL!

Happy quilting,

Rita

Hive 1 July: Begger's Block for Cindy

Hi Cindy!

On the second attempt I made it - yay! Hope these colours are what you are looking for. The blocks are already on the way to you.

Happy quilting,

Rita

Hive 1: July block for Cindy

Fun block.  I made a hair ribbon with the original cutting directions.  Here it is in the right size - I hope.

Jane A.

Hive 1 - July Block for Cindy